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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22827121">Claude vs Mr. Mittens</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anam_Writes/pseuds/Anam_Writes'>Anam_Writes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>princes love dragons; it's just a fact [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cats, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Post-Time Skip</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:00:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,826</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22827121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anam_Writes/pseuds/Anam_Writes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Part I </p><p>Local man hates his lover's cat who is exactly like him. </p><p>Part II </p><p>Local man refuses to admit he likes the cat even when he is found snuggled up with him. </p><p>Part III</p><p>Local man would kill everyone in the room and then himself if anything happened to his wife's Gods damned cat.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>princes love dragons; it's just a fact [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1610308</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>163</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Claude vs Mr. Mittens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swiftyue/gifts">Swiftyue</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Claude and Mittens are my BroTP. Don't @ me.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Claude never had any particular interest in cats. He never had a particular disinterest in cats either. As a general rule, he liked most animals. Sure, he might be partial to wyverns and horses but he had to admit, other species had their charms. </p><p>That being said, Claude more and more felt irked by the sight of Garreg Mach's feral colony. One colony cat in particular was drawing his ire: Mr. Mittens.</p><p>It had all started innocently enough. Upon returning to the monastery, the remaining loyalists to the Church and Claude's own forces had found that Abyss had been over run by the colony. And at the top of the heap was Mr. Mittens, the biggest tom Claude had ever seen in his life. Every single kitten that wandered Garreg Mach had little white front paws and black hind legs to the joint, like him. Someone had proposed naming the cat Sylvain before Byleth had cut in. </p><p>If the colony was to be controlled for humane purposes then, at the very least, Mittens would need fixing. That was Claude's logic, at least. There were a lot of starving cat Mama's and babies around the monestary and consulting with Marianne on the matter only confirmed it was what would be the kindest thing to do. </p><p>Byleth had taken a particular liking to the cat and, following his neutering, the creature became more amicable spending time upstairs rather than guarding his territory below. So, as one might imagine, the two became something of a pair. </p><p>Byleth fed him and left him clean, fresh water. In turn she was the only one he'd let touch him, cuddle him, carry him. Anyone else risked losing a finger. </p><p>So imagine his surprise when he found mittens sitting in Byleth's room during the private time they'd arranged together.</p><p>"Don't mind him," Byleth waved her hand. "He's been clingy today."</p><p>And that would have been fine excepting the fact that Claude was also feeling clingy that day. He had brought in her favourite tea, some flowers to set the table, some extra candles for the mood. And there was Mittens, purring and sitting comfortably in Byleth's lap. </p><p>"He brought me a rat today," Byleth told him as he was about to bite into a pastry. He put it back down on his plate and tried to wash that image out with some tea instead. "He left it right by my bed this morning."</p><p>"Gross," he eyed Mittens. The cat was staring right back at him, tail flicking the slightest bit.</p><p>"I thought it was sweet," she said. "Remember when you gave me that necklace made from the tusk of a boar you had a tussle with."</p><p>Claude was pretty sure that gift was a thoughtful romantic tribute but apparently it was comparable to a dead rat brought by a castrated cat so that was fine. </p><p>He didn't say anything to that, just shrugged. </p><p>Another time he had been walking down the stairs with Byleth and the brat had pounced at his ankle. Were it not for her he would have certainly fallen with only stone steps to catch his fall. </p><p>"He's just playing," Byleth said. </p><p>From the way Mittens continued to chase after him, swatting at his boots and hissing, Claude was pretty sure he wanted him dead. </p><p>On another night in his quarters Claude and Byleth had been taking a much deserved rest. The maps and letters relevant to their next skirmish lay across his desk and Byleth lay across his chest. They were sleeping soundly in a warm bed, comfortably clothed, bellies full of rolls and a relaxing cup of chamomile tea. The door was locked for privacy and the window opened a crack to bring in a mild summer breeze. </p><p>It was perfect. </p><p>Until that damn cat decided to come through the window and swat relentlessly at Claude's face. </p><p>When he woke with a start Byleth woke with him. She needed no explanation for what had scared him so. Just seeing the cat there she could piece it together. </p><p>"Come here, Mr. Mittens," she said, smiling softly. </p><p>The cat curled up between them as Byleth lay on her side. Claude tried to maneuver around the beast to put a hand on her shoulder but got bit in the process. </p><p>"It's clear what's happening," Sylvain intruded on Claude's early morning session of glaring at the cat curled up around Byleth's feet in the dining hall. "You ordered him fixed, took his turf. Now he's moving in on yours."</p><p>"Byleth's not -" Claude sighed. No. No, it wasn't worth it.</p><p>None of this was worth it. </p><p>It was silly to be jealous of a cat. He understood that. The shame even coloured his cheeks sometimes when he was alone thinking about whether or not he might be able to go see Byleth without being stalked by that damn cat. </p><p>He was not a jealous man. He did not feel threatened in the security of his friendship with Byleth by anything else. </p><p>He was not the only person she invited to tea  after all. He wasn't even the only man she invited into her room for such tea. He knew that Sylvain and Lorenz had spent time with her in her quarters on at least one occasion. Felix was invited in frequently, being a close personal friend of Byleth. But he'd never so much as winced at that fact. </p><p>Even when Sylvain tried to get a rise out of him Claude had remained staunchly confident in the integrity of their connection. She was his partner in all aspects of his life that could be open to her during this war. They were together in every way that did not jeopardize their efforts as the Sovereign Duke and Commander of the rebel army. He'd not stoop to questioning her relationships with others; Byleth and Claude were solid and everything else fell to the side. </p><p>But this cat!</p><p>It was immature, petty and completely ridiculous but he needed some time with Byleth that was not interrupted by him. </p><p>So early in the morning, the time Mittens usually went prowling by Byleth's door, dragging his nails against the wood and crying, Claude managed to intercept him. He bought the biggest, stinkiest fish he could find and cut open it's stomach to fill that with catnip. He threw it into the courtyard just outside Byleth's quarters and figured that would be enough to keep him safely occupied.  </p><p>Claude knocked to hear a low, grumble and a soft "come in."</p><p>As he brought a gift for Mittens so too did he bring something for Byleth. A carved wood tea box filled with bags of Almyran Pine needles dried out and preserved in honey. </p><p>She smiled at him from her bed. Her light green hair cascaded about her shoulders and the morning light made her glow like a fairy out of a picture book.</p><p>Claude sighed. "I thought we might have breakfast, just the two of us."</p><p>She leaned back against her head rest and looked down at the box. </p><p>"Have you brought me tea?" She asked. </p><p>"I always bring you tea," his chest puffed up with a bit of pride. "I've also sent for breakfast already. I hope you don't mind."</p><p>She shakes her head. "I don't."</p><p>Claude got his fill of human touch and affection from Byleth. He got to hold her hand over the table. She pushed his knee with the sole of her foot when she wanted to get his attention. </p><p>She carried her chair over to him so they were closer and she stroked the scruff above his beard with her thumb, asking if he was growing it out. In Fódlan, where such abundance of hair on anything but the top of one's head is seen as uncleanly he hardly could. So she asked him if she could help him shave, told him she used to cut her father's hair and she has a steady hand. </p><p>Claude got to drape his arm over the back of her chair and whisper about nothing particularly scandalous to her: a compliment to her last proposal to the war council, a flower he'd seen that had made him wish he had even half the skill of Ignatz, a food he wanted to try his hand at making for her. </p><p>When the sky started to brighten past the point of reasonably claiming morning rest Byleth stood and gathered the small plates and cups in her hand. Claude helped put the table and chairs back in the corner she set it in when not taking meals privately. </p><p>"Can I walk you to the council room?" He asked her. </p><p>"Go ahead, I have to put some food out for Mittens," she waved him off. </p><p>He sighed. "I already threw him the fattest fish I could find."</p><p>She turns to look over her shoulder from putting her cups in a filled water basin. "You fed him?"</p><p>He shrugged. </p><p>"Does that mean you're getting along better?" Her eyes brightened. </p><p>Claude didn't have the heart to tell her it was all part of some weird scheme he'd based around the, frankly, embarrassing amount of envy he had for the animal. </p><p>"He's not so bad, I suppose," he lied. </p><p>Her smile lights up, full force. Claude always feels like he's being pushed when he sees it. He tried not to stumble backwards with the gravity of it when it happened. </p><p>"I'm so glad you think so," she told him. "I've been thinking about adopting him."</p><p>Claude gulped. "Have you?"</p><p>Byleth nodded. "I thought I couldn't at first but now that you approve-"</p><p>"I hope you know you don't need sovereign approval to adopt a cat," he laughed. </p><p>"I thought my husband should have an input on what pets we keep. That's all."</p><p>Claude froze in place. Husband? He hadn't asked yet. Did she know he was going too? Had Hilda told her? Had he been too obvious sending for his mother's ring? </p><p>Byleth was smiling though, a big bright smile. She had it all figured out: her and her two favourite boys cozied up in a house somewhere. He regretted any marriage to him would likely be far less simple than she might be imagining. All the same though, seeing her imagination run with it just behind her green eyes was something else. </p><p>He didn't ask how she found out about his plotting, neither confirmed nor denied her implications. Instead he came up beside her and helped her with the drying of some plates she'd washed. </p><p>They worked slowly in amicable silence until a pitter patter came at the door.</p><p>Claude let the scarred up old cat into the room and watched him curl up in the bed. He could put up with that dumb cat. Maybe he'd even learn to like him. </p><p>On his way out he reached out to give Mr. Mittens a pat. He got bit again. </p><p>Gods, that cat was a dick.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yes. There's more.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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